Alter Ego
by El Squirrelo
Summary: Back from their family vacation, the Sevilles start to return to their normal lives. However, Alvin now wants what Simon found on the island, and will go to odd lengths to get it. Post-Chipwrecked CGI-verse. Strange pairing. One-shot.


_**This is just a little detour I took while waiting for my beta reader. I believe this a pairing that hasn't been done before, so I figured I'd give it a shot and see what happens…this is the result. It's a bit weird, but it's different and I think it works. **_

_**Just as a vague warning, if you're against the tagged pairing you'll probably be against this too (the actual pairing isn't taggable), and there will be sexual references. For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy the story and leave me a friendly review or two!**_

* * *

><p>"So, Britt…" Alvin scratched the back of his head, nervousness proving to be the little chipmunk's biggest obstacle.<p>

"Yes, Alvin?" Brittany urged him on. There wasn't much conflict since they'd gotten back from the International Music Awards; there weren't a lot of things that called for a private talk.

"I was just wondering -" Alvin opened his mouth and started to say what he'd been trying to since they got back, but his words seemed to change on their own. "-if you'd started that assignment yet."

Brittany sighed. "No, I was just about to get into it with Jeanette." That clearly wasn't what he wanted to ask, but if he wasn't mature enough to get it out, she wasn't going to let him take any shortcuts. "Is that it?"

Alvin nodded unconvincingly, "Yeah, that's all. I was just about to go ask Simon about it, so I figured you might want the help. But if you're happy working with Jeanette…" He trailed off and cleared his throat. "Well anyway, I can't keep my little brother waiting!" He jumped down from the kitchen counter and fled down the hall.

That almost-conversation kept popping up every day since they got home from that disastrous vacation. Alvin would get Brittany alone and then try to ask her out, only to get tongue-tied and run away. It was getting to be a real problem, and it was terrible for the charmer's reputation.

With considerable effort, Alvin pushed shut the bedroom door, leaving him and his bespectacled brother in private. Simon laid in the bottom-bunk bed with a notepad and pen, scrawling something down. "Ugh, what is it, Alvin?" Simon groaned. "I'm kind of busy here."

"Right, busy, with that assignment! That's what I wanted to talk to you about!" Alvin lied with enthusiasm and scampered over to his sibling, jumping on his bed.

"You haven't started that yet?" Simon scolded. "I know you're still all wrapped up in vacation mode, but come on, Alvin…it's due in two weeks." That seemed like plenty of time to Alvin. "Do you at least have an idea of what you're going to write about?" The assignment was pretty straight forward: take any kind of science experiment, examine it over time, then record the results and report on the findings. The work load was pretty negligible, but the timeframe was strict.

"Not exactly," Alvin slumped. "Mind telling me what you're working on?" He fished for ideas.

Simon thought for a moment, then dropped his pen and notepad onto the bed. "Oh, why not. It'd be nice to tell somebody about it, but you can't tell Dave."

That had Alvin intrigued. "A secret project…I like it!"

Simon dropped from the bed and pulled a concealed glass jar from underneath. "Behold, my science experiment," he introduced, lifting it up. The jar was sealed and housed a small amount of vegetation and a very familiar looking spider.

Alvin's eyes sprung open. "Simon, are you crazy! You remember what that thing did to you, right?"

Truthfully, Simon DIDN'T remember. He was told about it, but his little escapade as Simone was just a blank spot in his memory. "I doubt it's the exact same spider, Alvin," Simon rolled his eyes. "I did bring her back from the island though. Seems she snuck onto the raft with us to get away from the volcano. I call her 'Charlene'…I'm not sure why, but I like the ring of it."

"So you thought it'd be a good idea to bring a poisonous spider back here and keep it under your bed without telling anybody." Alvin put his paw to his chin, mocking thoughtfulness. "Yeah, ok, no way that could backfire."

Simon gently put the jar down on the ground. "I admit, it LOOKS bad, but I did think things through. I keep her fed and happy, and just as a precaution, I made sure to go and get the antivenom to keep nearby. But as long as she doesn't get out, I shouldn't even need it."

"That still seems kind of dangerous..."

"Relax, Alvin. I've got this under control." Simon reassured him. "So that's my project. What ideas do you have for yours?"

"Uhh…" Nothing came to mind.

"You didn't really come in here to talk about school, did you?" Alvin shook his head, so Simon pushed the jar back into its hiding place to let the topic change. "Well?"

"Si," Alvin didn't waste any time getting into it. With how long they'd been side-by-side, it wasn't hard to share secrets anymore. "When we were on that island, you and Jeanette started dating. Theo and Ellie might as well be dating. So now it's just me and Brittany…I kind of want what you guys have."

"I'm not seeing the problem," Simon confessed.

"Well I keep trying to ask Brittany, but I keep chickening out. I thought that with that big brain of yours you might be able to help."

Simon laughed. "Alvin, you'll flirt with anything with a pair of lips, why would this be any different?"

Alvin sighed and tried to put it into words. "It's just…well, I'm not trying to flirt or anything. I want something serious, like you have. But I've never actually asked anyone out, and this is Brittany we're talking about. If she turns me down, she'll make me a laughing stock!"

Simon let out a breath and shook his head. It was an ego problem? Seriously? "Alright, if that's your problem, you just need to build up more confidence in the area," he explained.

That was obvious, but Alvin didn't have a clue where to start. "Easier said than done."

Pride filled Simon's stance. "Interesting choice of words. In this case, no, it's not."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you'll be alright out here by yourself, Alvin?" Dave asked the chipmunk as he readied a bed on the lounge-room chair.<p>

Simon handed his brother a tape recorder. "He'll be fine, Dave."

"I still don't understand what the idea is," Dave had been brought up to speed on the bare essentials of the plan – pretty much just what he needed to consent to – but he still wasn't sure why Alvin would be sleeping separately for the next few days.

"I call it 'Subliminal Tutoring'," Simon explained. "I record key words and phrases onto a tape recorder, which Alvin listens to in his sleep. If it works, he should be able to better himself without even knowing he's doing it." He intentionally left out exactly what Alvin needed help with to let his brother keep his pride. Instead, they decided to double-up and let this be his assignment topic.

"Yeah," Alvin confirmed. "And I wouldn't want everyone else to overhear and ruin the experiment. There needs to be a buffer zone," he cut a vertical line in the air. It was a pretty solid excuse; use the others as 'test subjects' to gauge if the experiment was working. The whole plan was so air-tight there was no way it could fail.

Dave finished the last of a glass of water and got ready to retire himself. "Well alright," he shrugged. "I'll just be down the hall if you need me."

Alvin crossed his arms. "What do you think I am, a baby? I can sleep by myself, no problem."

"He's gone, Alvin," Simon pointed out. "I'm going to bed. Just put the headphones on and hit 'play' when you're ready to sleep and leave it going all night. When you wake up, don't forget to record your findings."

"Yeah, I get it, we've only been over it a thousand times," Alvin brushed off the advice. Simon dropped off the chair and started to run back to their room. "Hey, Si!" Alvin stopped him. "Thanks."

Alvin threw on the headphones – essentially just earphones with a binding – and laid back against the pillow. His brother's voice spoke to him through the tape recorder as he drifted off to sleep.

'_You are a confident chipmunk; a talented chipmunk. You can have anyone you want; you don't need to worry about rejection. You are the suavest, most dashing munk the world's ever seen…'_

* * *

><p>Alvin yawned himself awake and stretched out on the seat. That sleep was not comfortable, and the tape ruined his usual morning sleep-in. He hopped down onto the floor and wearily made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water, rubbing his tired eyes on the way.<p>

As he pulled the fridge open, he heard a familiar voice from behind him. "Alvin, what are you doing up?" He spun to face Brittany.

"Oh, uh, I just didn't feel like sleeping in today, that's all."

Brittany shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself."

Now seemed as good a time as any to see if the tape worked, so Alvin gave it a shot. "Britt, as long as you're here..." he opened his mouth and his brain cut him off again, "is Simon awake?"

A frustrated sigh accompanied Brittany's answer. "Yeah, he's in our room." Why couldn't he just say it already?

"Thanks," Alvin thanked her and ran off down the hall, completely forgetting that glass of water he got up for. That didn't go any better than usual…the tape was a complete waste of time.

* * *

><p>"You need to stick with it a little longer," Simon read through Alvin's notes.<p>

"But it didn't work!" Alvin complained impatiently.

"You just have to give it time. You can't dismiss the experiment just because it didn't work over night." Simon flipped a page and skimmed down to Alvin's next complaint. "You said that the voice makes you uncomfortable? What's wrong with my voice?" He seemed almost offended.

"Nothing!" Alvin defended. "It's just…well as much as I love all the adoration, hearing it from your brother on a loop at night…well it's creepy!"

Simon looked back down at the notes, feeling like his effort was going unappreciated. "If you'd rather have one of the Chipettes do the recording, I'd be happy to ask," he threatened.

"No, no! You're doing fine, forget I said anything."

Simon grinned a little in victory. "In any case, your notes are sloppy." He handed him back the notepad. "Try to sort them into categories or something…anything to make them look more structured. This isn't going to pass if it doesn't look like you're making an effort."

Alvin rolled his eyes as if to say 'I AM making an effort.'

"I know you're putting the work in, but the important thing is that the teacher knows too. Just…dress it up a little."

"Yeah, I'll get to that later," Alvin grabbed the notepad and flung it across the room behind him carelessly. "What about Charlotte? How's your project going?"

Simon squinted at him. "Her name is 'Charlene', and good, if I do say so myself." He reached under his bed and pulled the jar out to illustrate his point. "I've introduced a surrogate companion to the nest to see if she'll form some kind of emotional bond," he pointed to a tiny plastic spider sitting on a leaf. "Tomorrow, I take the toy out and see how she reacts."

Alvin watched the little red and yellow spider slide down a thread and stand over the tiny imposter. It wasn't hard to see why Simon kept an interest in those things; the venom had a pretty unusual effect on the little chipmunk. In fact, if not for the spider bite, he and Jeanette might never have gotten together. Before that, Simon didn't have nearly enough…confidence…

His eyes lit up. "Say, I think I just got a crazy idea."

"All your ideas are crazy, Alvin." Simon turned to him. "What is it this time?"

"What were those side effects you mentioned? Personality changes, loss of inhibition…"

"And a dry throat," Simon finished. His eyes grew wide when it clicked, "Oh no, Alvin. I know what you're thinking, and you're not going anywhere near that spider."

"Come on, Si, that could solve everything," Alvin tried to convince him. One little spider bite and he could fast-track his way to confidence, just like Simon did.

"No, Alvin!" Simon was stern. "That is not personal growth! And it's not even safe, for you or Charlene." Alvin rolled his eyes. "Alvin, if I catch you trying anything, I'm going to kill you."

Alvin raised his hands defensively. "Ok, ok, it was just an idea, sheesh! I guess I'll just stick with the tapes."

* * *

><p>'<em>You are the greatest romancer the world's ever seen. A little rejection is nothing to fear for the likes of you. You are calm, composed, and irresistible…'<em>

A strange dream hit Alvin that night. He was in a distant country, bounding from rooftops with a single rose held in his teeth. He leaped from a building, cape swirling in the air, and caught himself on the back of a mighty black stallion. They rode off into the distance and came to a stone castle. Alvin opened his mouth and sang a single, echoing tune to the window above him. After a moment, a chipmunk appeared at the windowsill and crouched down to watch him through a round pair of glasses.

With a twist, Alvin cast the rose into the air and into the chipmunk's hands. "A rose for my sweet Simone," he spoke.

Alvin shook himself awake. "O….k. That was different."

* * *

><p>With the room to himself, Simon retrieved Charlene's little habitat and recorded notes on the pad pressed up against the counter beside him. It was time to see if her breed of spiders was actually capable of forming emotional connections the way people do, given enough exposure.<p>

He unscrewed the lid and reached a paw down towards the plastic spider. As he put his fingers around it, the much more real spider came out from under a leaf and jabbed at him defensively.

"Youch!" Simon yelped at a sudden surge of pain shooting up his arm and pulled out of the jar. He held out his paw and felt through the fur, cursing at himself when passed over the source of the pain. Charlene had bitten him…fantastic.

He screwed the lid back onto the jar and pushed it away, then hurried under the bed himself to search for the antivenom. A frantic moment later, he popped back out with a small container of liquid and a syringe. He placed the container on the ground and raised the syringe above his head to bring it down through the lid, but found himself hesitating.

Simon groaned and lowered the syringe. He didn't have the nerve to do this to himself…if he wanted the cure, he had to tell Dave.

* * *

><p>"Simon, I can't believe you," Dave lectured, setting down the syringe on the sink. "It isn't like you to be so irresponsible."<p>

Simon rubbed his lower back after the shot. "I know it wasn't my best judgement, but it's not like I didn't come prepared."

"Maybe, but that spider's still got to go," Dave put his foot down.

Simon raised up in panic. "No no, you can't do that! You can't get rid of Charlene; I still need her for my science experiment!"

Dave looked at Simon with a look of both disbelief and sympathy. "You named it?" Simon nodded sadly. Dave rolled his head, trying to convince himself that he could make the responsible call and still keep Simon happy. "Ok, you can keep the spider, but you have to be more careful from now on, am I clear?"

Simon perked back up and nodded. "Absolutely, Dave." He could tell that Dave was still worried about the risks. "If it helps, these spiders only really have the one good bite in them at a time. If she bit someone now, it would probably wear off in a matter of hours instead of days."

"Gee, why doesn't that make me feel any better?" Dave responded with sarcasm. He really was concerned; even if the venom wasn't deadly, he didn't like putting his kids in any kind of risk. But he still couldn't bring himself to force Simon to give up his pet. Even if it had to be a spider, he felt the kid deserved one.

* * *

><p>Alvin kept low to the ground and snuck into the bedroom while his siblings were still finishing dinner. He tried again to ask Brittany out, but the tapes weren't working. All they were doing was messing with his dreams…he needed a sure thing.<p>

Simon had mentioned to him earlier about being bitten, and Alvin took note of him saying that the next bites would be weaker. That was perfect! Maybe if he just got a little bit of the poison, he'd get the confidence, and Simon wouldn't even notice. Heck, it was worth a try.

Taking one quick glance to each side, Alvin pulled the jar out from under Simon's bed. He peered inside; the spider was tangling its thin webbing around the fork in a twig near the top of the container.

Alvin took a deep breath and twisted the lid off the jar, then slowly pushed a shaking paw inside. He turned away and screwed his eyes shut, fighting the urge to just abandon the idea.

A loud yelp filled the room as Alvin yanked his arm out of the jar. He rubbed his paw and cursed at the spider. "Why you little…!"

"Alvin? Are you alright?" Dave's voice called from the dining room.

Alvin fidgeted mischievously. "Uh…uh...Yep, I'm fine, Dave! Nothing to worry about!" He looked around the room then quickly screwed the lid back onto the jar and kicked it back under the bed, making a hasty exit before he could be caught. It never occurred to him to make sure Charlene was still inside the jar.

* * *

><p>Dave and his surrogate kids all sat on the lounge in the dark, gathered together to watch a rented family movie. Each chipmunk sat beside their Chipette counterpart, most notably Alvin and Brittany at the far end.<p>

In the flicker of the TV screen, Alvin kept trying to offer his paw to the Chipette beside him, but couldn't manage a gesture that didn't seem forced and awkward. Thankfully, Brittany didn't seem to take much notice.

Unbeknownst to Alvin, Simon did. Although at the complete other end of the lineup, Simon kept catching his brother's movements out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and noticed Alvin rubbing at the back of his paw.

A look of suspicion appeared on Simon's face. A mysterious shout from his room, and now Alvin was nursing his paw? _No, he wouldn't have…_Simon cast the thought aside and decided to give his brother the benefit of the doubt. It was equally likely that it was just nerves. He was the same way with Jeanette, after all.

* * *

><p>Simon bid goodnight to Alvin, then to the others who shared his bedroom. He wanted to trust Alvin, and he didn't try to question him, but it was hard to ignore all the years of irresponsible behavior. If Alvin really got himself bitten, that was his own problem, but he better not have hurt Charlene.<p>

It was too dark to see clearly, but Simon had to check on her, just to make sure she was still there. Being as quiet as possible, he lowered himself to the ground and lifted the bedsheets that concealed her habitat. Simon had to squint, but he could make out the dark silhouette of a spider in a web, so that was enough to put his fears to rest. He re-covered the jar and hopped back into bed, now content to call it a night.

* * *

><p>Charlene crawled around in the dark for near an hour. This new place was much bigger than what she'd gotten used to, and as curious as it was to explore, it had her on edge. It was too foreign for her to be comfortable.<p>

She wandered around as soon as she felt that the threat that intruded on her nest had left, and even managed to start a new one in a dry corner, but there was a lot of space to fill and no food seemed to come her way for some reason. It was a lonely and uncertain couple of hours.

Not content to waste more time on a clearly unsuccessful web, Charlene lowered herself downwards and on to a soft, textured surface. After a moment to adjust to the new ground, she moved on towards the large, moving figure further on.

Once she reached the figure, she took a moment to check that it was safe, then began to climb the figure's loose coverings. Before long, something made her stop her erratic exploration. A half-skinned, half-furred limb sat beneath Charlene's pointed legs. This was something familiar, so she lingered on its warm surface.

Suddenly, the limb moved and turned, coming back down against the textured surface of the ground. At the moment of contact, Charlene acted on instinct. To avoid that chance of being crushed, she bit down.

* * *

><p>"Ow!" Simon snapped awake and shook his paw, then tried to rub away the sting. He failed to notice the now-fleeing spider on his bed, yet he could still swear this pain was new…but given that his day had revolved around spider-bites and that he'd already been bitten on that paw, it made sense for it to be a psychosomatic response to whatever he was dreaming.<p>

He groaned and laid back down, pulling the sheet over his shoulders. Simon just wanted to get back to sleep, so he ignored the possibility that his diagnosis was wrong.

* * *

><p>Alvin tossed and turned as the neurotoxin made its way through his sleeping body. Hours of unfelt restlessness filled his sleep as twitches became frequent and his mind took on a life of its own. Those tapes helped put him to sleep, but suddenly the neurotoxin had broken him out of it.<p>

The chipmunk looked around, frozen and wide-eyed. He hopped down from the couch with one paw firmly grasped around the thin sheet that covered him. He folded the sheet in half, then in a smooth movement waved it into the air and stepped into it with a turn. Nimble fingers pulled at the corners around the chipmunk's neck and tied them together; the sheet now formed an elegant dark-red cape.

The chipmunk stood tall and held a paw to his chest, turning to admire the surrounding room. As he walked across the carpeted floor, he hummed a tune only known to him. And as he a transitioned from a walk into gradual tango for one, his humming gained words and turned into a song.

"_Who is the greatest romancer the world's ever seen?"_ He clapped thrice in rhythm. _"Who is the suavest, most charming that there's ever been?"_

"_Composed and so noble, the greatest munk you'll ever know," _He twirled on a tabletop, snatching a flower from the glass. _"Can't turn me down now, my love, for I'll never go."_

He danced his way down the hall and into the bedroom, then leapt onto a bed and swung back down with Simon in tow. _"Now that we're here and together I must carry on,_" He pulled the weary chipmunk down the hall in a tango.

Spinning to a stop and with a new-found alertness, a French accent escaped Simon's lips. "Who are you?"

The caped chipmunk bowed and offered a hand to his partner. _"Captain Chipmunk is my name, and that was my song."_

"I see," the partner brushed himself off. "I am Simone, but I get the feeling we have met before, _oui_? You look awfully familiar…"

Captain Chipmunk stood and extended a flower. "Ahh, Simone, only every night when I close my eyes. You are the siren of my dreams – the voice that whispers to my heart."

"I do not believe we have met in any dreams," Simone corrected. "You flatter me, _monsieur_, but my heart belongs to another." He rejected the offer and started a slow walk back towards the bedroom.

Thrusting the flower in the way, Captain Chipmunk intercepted. He held the flower across defensively with a confident smile, blocking Simone's path. "There's no need for haste, _mi amor_," he breathed the term. "You can see it in my eyes - that we are meant to be. You can feel the bond that we share."

Simone eyed the caped chipmunk. There was a strong sense of familiarity in his ruby eyes – the dim light caught in the cape offset the natural colour. There was something there…certainly a deep bond, but he couldn't tell where it came from. "I confess, there is something that I am seeing. But it's a certain _je ne sais quoi_…what does it mean?"

Captain Chipmunk smiled and leant on the flower as a cane. "It means there is an adventure for the two of us. It's merely been waiting for us to meet once more."

Simone eyed Captain Chipmunk again, this time taking in more from the new stance. "I see you are quite the attractive suitor, and your charm makes me aflutter with the strange feelings I cannot place, but my Jeanette-"

"Can wait," Captain Chipmunk finished. He held out the stem of the flower towards Simone. "If what you feel is real, my Simone, do not keep love in a cage. Grant both our wishes and dance with me tonight."

After a thoughtful pause, Simone grabbed end of the flower and pulled, bringing the charmer close; a single movement more and they would be pressed together. "With an invitation like that, how can I refuse?" They each spared a paw and linked together, shifting into a dance.

First, gradual steps, the flower serving a prop in their turns and feigned retreats. When one would move away, the other would pull at the flower and bring them together again with a spin, only to begin the cycle again. Before long, the flower was discarded entirely as the chipmunk couple came to extend off of each other. Neither knew who had taken the lead, but they read the movements and let the flow come naturally.

"There is a beauty in your eyes, my little charmer. They speak words to me." Simone spoke as they danced along the lounge-room floor.

"And what do they say?"

"They say you long for me. Do I detect a hint of what they call love?"

"More than a hint, _mi amor_."

The stances grew more intimate, Simone now holding Captain Chipmunk from beneath his cape to keep their movements close. They could feel each other's pulses climb as they danced.

"Do your eyes speak as mine to you?" Captain Chipmunk returned the question.

"Mine send regards, _mon amour_, but love is a tricky thing. Romance may be where, as they say, we do not see eye to eye."

The dance had slowed to crawl, leaving the two chipmunks atop the lounge chair where Captain Chipmunk had awoken. Captain Chipmunk put an arm around Simone and lowered him back onto the pillow with a bow. They were both stricken with by a strange euphoria after their intimate tango, leaving them unable to abandon the spot.

Captain Chipmunk ran his fingers through the fur along Simone's thighs. "Romance is about the dance and the journey," he explained tenderly, leaning over his partner.

"No," Simone corrected, pulling Captain Chipmunk down to lean over him instead, reversing their pose. Simone gently laid onto the littler chipmunk to meet him eye-to-eye, holding their bodies together. "Romance is passion."He smiled as Captain Chipmunk wrapped a paw around his head and he felt the touch of their bodies together.

"If that is what you feel, my Simone, let's make this night a romantic one."

* * *

><p>Simon groaned and rolled over, slowly waking up a good hour earlier than usual with a tired aching through his body. He looked around, expecting to be in bed but clearly he was in the wrong room. Pulling his glasses over his eyes, he made out the lounge room around him; for some reason, he was sleeping on the chair next to Alvin, and his night-shirt was missing.<p>

Almost at the same time, Alvin stirred awake with a groan of his own. He held a paw to his head to silence the dull pain of a headache, which seemed to work for the most part. He turned and noticed Simon waking up beside.

Simon tried to think back over the last night; he couldn't remember leaving his room, or anything after going to bed really. He reached down and scratched at his belly, feeling a long patch of fur stuck together and clumped. His fingers felt through it inquisitively and he looked down at it. The realization struck him in an instant, making him squeal and throw his arms up and away from the guilty stain.

Alvin half-rolled his eyes at his brother until he shared the point of the focus. Alvin shot back with a yell of his own, keeping as far towards the other side of the chair as possible. He stood up close to the armrest, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Uh, uh…" he was at a loss for words. "That's uh…completely natural. There's nothing to feel embarrassed about…" he tried to be supportive.

Simon pulled the sheet up close to himself and stared at Alvin wide-eyed.

"What?" Alvin looked around and caught what Simon was staring at. He had a similar stain on himself, but more importantly, with a paw and a glance he noticed a great deal of clumped fur along and around his tail.

Any fur that wasn't stuck together suddenly stood on end. The two slowly looked to each other and shuddered in unison.

Suddenly very aware that he was naked, Alvin yanked the sheet free of his brother's grasp and concealed himself behind it, leaving Simon to not-so-subtly huddle himself up in embarrassment. It's not as though they were ever particularly clothed, or that they were uncomfortable with nudity at all, but this situation was enough to make it awkward.

"I don't suppose you remember anything?" Alvin tried to break the awkwardness, but couldn't even look at his brother.

Simon's speech was understandably frantic. "No I don't remember anything! But clearly whatever happened was your doing, and I can only assume you took advantage of me!"

"Uh, I think the evidence says that it was you who took advantage of me," Alvin suddenly heard what he said and spat at the bad taste it left in his mouth.

"But how did we… but we… we couldn't… this means you and me, we…" Simon shuddered again. This was absolutely unbelievable. He was shocked, appalled, embarrassed, and filled with regret over something he couldn't even remember.

Nerves stuck in Alvin's stomach. This was just as big a shock to him as it was to his brother, but he just tried to convince himself that this wasn't a big deal…a freak occurrence, one mistake, that's all. "Ok, so if you don't remember it, and I don't remember it…maybe we should just pretend it never happened."

"You think!" Simon snapped back, still adjusting himself uncomfortably.

"I mean it. No one knows what happened, and we don't remember anything…so if we just pretend, then that can be it. We can just go back to being a-" Alvin's voice started to quiver with nerves, "normal family, that doesn't do those things."

Simon clumsily stood with a shrug. "We don't really have a choice! I think it's best for both of us if we just drop it." An awkward moment passed of the two chipmunks failing to act naturally – the stain on Simon's fur was not getting any easier to ignore. Simon dove off the chair, "I'm going for a bath!" He called back.

"I'll be in the dishwasher!" Alvin shot off in the opposite direction.

* * *

><p>Simon threw a hand-towel over himself, brushing away the wetness from his fur. He was obsessing at first, but it didn't take a lot of self-motivating to decide that pushing that morning out of mind was the best thing to do. It could be like it never happened.<p>

He stopped walking half way to the door, noticing movement in the corner of his eye. "Charlene, how did you get out?" He moved towards the corner of the room and absent-mindedly offered his paw to the spider. She climbed onto him and sat in his palm, legs hanging over the sides.

Cautiously, Simon moved a finger towards the spider's head and touched it gently in a pat. He wasn't really thinking about it at first, but she wasn't biting him or acting aggressively. It looked like his theory was right; she had gotten used to him. "It looks like someone's getting a little attached," Simon mused, not yet considering that the feeling was mutual. He carried her gently and made his way to the door. "Come on, let's get you back inside."

* * *

><p>"So, Britt," Alvin started, facing the Chipette on the kitchen counter. "Since it's obvious that no one else is going to ask y-" he stopped at the imminent glare and hazarded a chuckle instead. "How about you and I give things a shot?"<p>

Brittany put a hand on her hip and rolled her head. "Ugh, finally!" She grunted. "I mean…I'd love to, Alvin."

"Really?" Alvin seemed almost surprised.

"Well yeah, I mean I could do a lot worse, I guess." Brittany recited her on-going thoughts aloud. "We have had our moments, and it's not like there's a lot of available talking chipmunks to choose from."

"Yes, exactly what I was thinking," Alvin returned what was probably a thinly-veiled insult.

"Still, I have been thinking that we'd be good together. I'm just amazed it took you so long to get on with it," Brittany judged. She was obviously pleased, but to anyone that didn't know her she would have just appeared egotistical. "What made you finally ask?"

Alvin grinned nervously. "Uh, let's just say that now felt like the right time." He tried not to think about it.

Brittany shrugged and stepped into a hug with her slowly-maturing new boyfriend, just to be sure he got the message. He didn't hug her back at first; he had another thought on his mind.

_Funny, I wonder if those tapes really did work. _

* * *

><p><em><strong>PS: If I've just 'invented' this couple, I'm calling it 'Captone'!<strong>_


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